Southampton Masters solid as steel in Sheffield

Quite the delay in Southampton Masters returning to the British National Long Course Championships - 2020 and 2021 wiped out by COVID, then 2022 pinning its hopes on South England clubs making the arduous trip to Aberdeen (we didn't, understandably!) - and no better venue to make a welcome splash-back than the seemingly hydrodynamic venue of Ponds Forge, Sheffield. 

Worth noting right from the start, that just qualifying for this event was quite the achievement...a dual-phase entry process seeing the opening 48-72hr window swallow up over eighty percent of spaces despite very steep benchmark times, as Swim England desperately try to balance the sense of kudos that should accompany a National competition alongside the ethos of Masters swimming and encouragement of all. Some could argue that balance was slightly askew during Phase.1 entry, with many Sotonians shy of the mark despite excellent County and Regional results (a story shared elsewhere across Britain if any consolation) - Phase.2 proving far more attanable, but for keen entrants only as again, the moment entries opened, the remaining spaces were snapped up in a matter of hours. 

That said, a trio of Reds snuck in, and made the four hour trip (or seven, if you happen to be the somewhat tardy Squad Coach!) North worth their while. Fiona Carroll (30-34yrs) settling in to her signature Freestyle distance combination from dashing 100m FC sprints to gruelling 1500m FC slogs. Perhaps the most impressive display came in the middle-distance 400m FC (04.51.48) with a perfectly timed last 50m to overtake Birmingham's Katie Walker-Stabeler and claim her first British title. 24 hours later, Carroll did the double with another 1500m FC (19.17.38) to accompany her Short Course winning swim last October battling Aberdeen's Kelly McIntosh...the pair racing side-by-side in the same lane to accelerate heat proceedings (think pursuit track cycling, only in water!)

A last minute rush to the online entries saw Kim Tarrant (55-59yrs) grab a spot in the 100m Breaststroke (01.44.93) pushing through a continuing shoulder niggle. A different sort of last minute rush had James MacTavish (40-44yrs) bolt straight to his 200m FC (02.18.16) heat after enduring an M1 traffic nightmare and blitzing a quick 200m warm up in the diving pool. Thankfully, things were a little more relaxed come the final Sunday morning for the Coach as another Season's Best in the 200m IM (02.38.80) was enough to take home a Bronze for CSSC's third medal of the three-day competition. 

Following the quiet period for Long Course swimming in Britain (let's be honest, pool time for Masters is scarce and opportunities to race are limited), this event saw a wealth of new British, European and World records tumble...with Hampshire near-top of the pile thanks to some incredible performances from Basingstoke Bluefins, South Down Trojans and Portsmouth Northsea throughout the relay events. Next year, City of Southampton will be looking to join them with an elusive fourth member, but for now, we'll celebrate our individual achievements!

MEDAL TALLY:

GOLD : 2

SILVER : 0

BRONZE : 1

James MacTavish

City of Southampton Masters Coach / Hampshire ASA Masters Secretary